Premier Royals reign over Chiefs  

The Save-On-Foods Parksville Royals were in Whalley this past weekend to take on the Chiefs in Surrey.  Game 1 was a see-saw affair that saw the lead change multiple times only to see the teams tied at 4 heading into the 7th.  Starter Brodie Comerford scattered 7 hits across 5 innings of work, allowing 4 earned runs and striking out 3.  Jacob Volkers came on in relief, throwing 2 innings with no runs allowed.  Volkers also had a big day at the plate.  The lead-off man went 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, and 3 runs scored.   Volkers’ double to lead-off the 7th was key as he came in to score the go-ahead run two batters later on Comerford’s sacrifice fly.  Final score Royals 5, Whalley 4.

Game 2 saw rookie Anson McGorman take the hill.  McGorman had no-hit the Chiefs back on opening day and he brought his good stuff again this time out.  McGorman secured the complete game win tossing 6 innings of 1-hit, shut-out ball, striking out 8 batters and walking just 1.  The offense gave him plenty of support, bombing the Whalley pitching staff for 12 runs.  Trevor Nicoll was 2 for 4 with a double, a triple, and 2 RBI and Nathan Lagos was 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, 2 runs scored, and 4 RBI.    Final score Royals 12, Whalley 0.       

Junior Royals start strong but run out of pitching  

The Save-On-Foods Parksville Junior Royals had a busy 5 game week and came out firing against the Mid-Island Pirates on Wednesday at Springwood Park.  Starter Austin Walper pitched 4 innings and scattered 3 hits, allowing no runs.  Ethan Dean came on to throw 3 scoreless innings of his own and completed the shutout.  At the dish, Owen Crouse was 1 for 2 with a double and a run scored as Will Roberts and Cody Jackson picked up an RBI each.  The Royals played a strong defensive game and clinched the victory over their Island rivals.  Final score Royals 3, Pirates 0.

The weekend started out strong for the boys in purple as they played two strong games against the UBC Thunder in Vancouver.  The boys had a chance to win both games but lost 6-5 in the 9th in game 1 and then by a score of 2-1 in the 7th in game 2.   Some performances to mention include Cody Jackson who started game 2 and pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing just 2 runs.  Also Austin Walper who knocked in 2 RBI in game 1.

The Juniors ran out of arms on Sunday against North Delta and dropped both sides of the double-header.  Will Roberts was locked in at the plate going 2 for 2 with a no-doubt home run over the left-field fence, a run scored, and 3 RBI in game 2.   Elijah Oelke contributed with a double, a run scored, and an RBI.  Cameron Bell chipped in with a triple, 2 walks, a run scored, and an RBI. 

Bantam Royals drop two close ones vs the Twins  

The Save-On-Foods Parksville Bantam Royals were on the road this weekend playing the North Shore Twins in North Vancouver. The two teams have faced off already this season with the series sitting at 1-1 respectively. Royals would start Tyler Kolopenuk who would go the distance throwing 6 complete innings. It would be a pitcher’s duel with both sides battling and offense coming at a premium. Leading the offensive charge was Liam McNamee with a hit and a run scored and Landon Bowers with 2 hits and a run. The Twins would score in the first inning, but answered back by two from the Royals in the 2nd. The Twins would answer again with 1 run in the 3rd and another in the 4th to take game 1 with a score of 3-2.

Royals would turn to Liam McNamee for game 2 in this tightly contested match-up. McNamee would also pitch well providing 4 innings of 2 run baseball before giving the ball to Rylan Baikie and Breandan McLaughlin who would shut the door on the Twin’s offense. Once again the Royals found themselves in a pitcher’s duel.  At the plate, Ryan Deagle and Breydan Riecker led the offense and Gareth MacDonald came up with a clutch RBI single to score the Royals only run as they lost game 2 by a score of 2-1.

Coach Biro would go on to say “that was some of the best fundamental baseball we have played all year and we just got unlucky. They didn’t beat us in those games, we unfortunately just lost. They got the hit when they needed it, and we had some guys step in in big situations and hit the ball hard; unfortunately right at their team. Bad luck. But it was entertaining I couldn’t have asked for anymore from our players”

Next up:

Canada Day weekend baseball!  It will be a busy weekend down at Springwood Park as the Premier & Junior Royals host 4 games each.  Starting on Saturday, The Junior Royals will host the Fraser Valley Junior Cardinals with first pitch at 1 pm. 

Then on Sunday, the Junior are again in action, this time against the Victoria Junior Mariners on the Rotary field.   On Inouye-Wallace, the Premier side will take on the Coquitlam Reds.  First pitch on both diamonds at 1 pm.

On Canada Day, the Premier Royals will host the Victoria Mariners with games scheduled at Noon and 2:30 pm.

The Bantam Royals have a home and home series against the UBC Thunder.  On Saturday, the boys travel to UBC and then Sunday the Thunder come to the Island for a double-header at Bill Moore Park in Courtenay.